Athena's Mark
by MisterPerfect1
Summary: The Greeks and Romans unite after many centuries of turmoil. The Greek and Roman demigods have finally become allies. But together can they withstand the wrath of Gaea and her children, the Gigantes?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter **1** of ****PERFECT: The Mark of Athena**

THE MARK OF ATHENA

**The Mark of Athena**

**MisterPerfect1**

**LEO**

Leo couldn't wait to meet this _Percy_. It was like the only thing that Annabeth talked about—and Annabeth was usually pretty serious. But now, she was shivering as if it were freezing in _Argo II_. And of course, it wasn't. There wasn't any air conditioning, and it was mid-summer.

Annabeth must've been pretty frantic, because then she stood up, and started pacing back and forth, talking to herself. "Will he still like me? What if he already has a girlfriend? What if I'm no longer his type? What if—?"

Leo cleared his throat on the intercom. "This is your captain speaking. Umm…we are about to land."

Piper appeared beside Leo. She had a worried look on her face; it looked a lot like Annabeth's. Then Leo remembered: Jason also had a girlfriend. He had one at Camp Half-Blood; one at Camp Jupiter—at least that's what Jason had told him.

"Uhh…_captain_?" Leo flinched at the way Piper had said 'captain', as if it was hard for her to say. Nobody seemed to respect Leo around here, Leo realized. But soon, that would all change.

"What?"

Piper said, "There's a big crowd down there."

"_So_…?" Leo replied. "They must be my adoring fans."

Piper sighed. "_So?_" she repeated. "How are we going to land?"

Leo shook his head. "Piper, Piper, Piper. Valdez is _always _prepared." Leo made it sound as if he were talking to a little kid.

He pressed a red button near the steering wheel and a long, _loud _blaring horn went off, like the one used on cars. Instantly, the crowd cleared away. But it was still not enough.

Leo honked the horn again.

This time the crowd made a bigger space. Obviously, nobody liked getting squished by a million-pound warship. The _Argo II _came crashing down. It wasn't a good landing, Leo admitted, but it was okay.

Leo bent over and pulled back a lever. A rectangle fell back from the wall, landing on the grass lightly, and the Piper, Jason, Annabeth, and Leo walked out of the warship.

"Uhh…maybe we should've landed in the lake over there," Jason pointed out. That was the time he had spoken in a while. Leo couldn't blame him. Losing your memory, falling in love with a girl, and finding out that you already had a girlfriend wasn't exactly a good train of events.

Leo ignored him. He brought out his hands, and said, "Greetings, my fellow Romans!"

They all looked at him like he was a maniac.

Then the crowd divided into two parts like a wave, leaving a trail for two people to walk through. One of them was a girl; the other, a boy. The girl was a few inches taller than the boy. She had dark brown hair and steely brown eyes that seemed to scan for a person's weaknesses.

The boy had longish black hair that fell over his forehead. He had bright green eyes that really stood out. Unlike the girl, he was smiling. But the smile looked like it was strained. He must've been nervous.

In fact, everyone seemed nervous.

Some people were in full Roman armour, ready to fight if necessary. Leo involuntarily retreated back. He hadn't come a thousand miles just to fight. But these guys didn't seem to know that.

"Percy?"

Annabeth walked from behind them. She looked sort of sick, and her moves were wobbly.

Percy's green eyes widened. He slowly walked toward Annabeth, his movements just as sluggish as Annabeth's.

Leo couldn't help but smile. So _this _was Percy. No wonder Annabeth liked him; he seemed like a cool guy.

Then the girl walked forward. Leo almost wet his pants. _Was she looking at him? _Then Leo noticed that the girl was looking past him. Leo turned, facing Jason. Jason tried to keep a straight face. He kept looking from Piper to the girl. So this must've been _his _girlfriend.

Scratch off the steely eyes and stern looks, and the girl looked actually sort of cute.

Leo got out of their way. He didn't want to get into any of the drama.

Then the next thing he saw almost made his eyes pop out of their sockets. The girl ran straight toward Jason—or maybe like _flew _at him—and they got in a tight embrace. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she kept mumbling Jason's name.

But Leo felt sorry for Piper. She just stood back in an awkward position. Imagine Leo in that position: He would've rather drowned in the lake than is Piper right now.

He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. Piper looked like she was about to cry. What would Leo do? What _should _Leo do? He didn't really have any experience in these types of situations.

Percy and Annabeth were walking away together, hand-in-hand. "I have to show you around," Percy said.

Reyna grabbed Jason's hand. For once, she was smiling. "Jace, I have to show all that happened when you were gone." They walked off as well.

Now all that was left was Leo and Piper.

Leo scanned across the crowd. He spotted a lot of pretty girls, but one just stood out. When their eyes met, the girl quickly looked down, her black hair falling over her face. Her hair was so dark that it shone like a crystal in the sun. (And that was actually true.)

Beside the girl stood a buff Asian kid with a military buzz cut and a chubby face like a baby's. He looked down at the girl with concern.

"Am I really that charming?" Leo asked Piper.

She didn't respond.

Leo looked for the girl again, but she was gone. _Yep, Leo has done it again. I'm like the Mexican Cupid. _

"Uh-hum," went a gruffly, old voice.

Leo turned. A centaur stood before him. He had a bushy brown beard and the lower body of a horse—a horse that wore heavy cologne. He may have looked middle-aged, but his eyes showed more. They were intelligent, wise—_ancient_. Leo had almost forgotten that Chiron had come along with them.

"Hey! It's a centaur!" someone yelled.

"CENTAUR!"

"W-where?"

Everyone grabbed hold of their weapons—spears, clubs, maces, swords. Leo didn't know what was happening. But he knew one thing: they were surrounded.

Leo lifted his hands in surrender; Piper followed suit. "People of Rome, I come in peace."

"We know that!" said a tall, buff guy. He had curly black hair and his lips were a shade of dark red. In his hand he held a gold cup filled with red liquid—Kool-Aid? "But what about the centaur?"

He took another gulp of Kool-Aid. "Now that's good stuff."

Leo gave Chiron an uneasy look. Surprisingly, Chiron looked calm. It was hard for Leo not to be scared when an legion of armed Roman soldiers were surrounding him—even though it was the centaur they were after.

Leo tried to play it cool. "Guys, we all know that centaurs are good. Right?"

"Wrong!"

Leo looked toward the direction of the voice. Out from amongst the crowd walked a tall, slim blonde dude with hazy blue eyes. He looked strict enough and of high honor, but the teddy bear that he was carrying messed up that image.

"Wrong," the dude said. He spoke in a way that irritated Leo; he reminded Leo of those people who thought they were always right, even when they knew they were wrong. "These _graecus _come to our camp as spies. I bet that Perseus Jackson fellow must've sent them."

Then the dude turned to face his brethren. He said in a loud booming voice, "We Romans know full well that centaurs are dangerous creatures. They destroy heroes like us."

Leo walked between him and the crowd. "No. You Romans got it all wrong. Centaurs are the _good _guys. They _train _heroes."

"Lies!" the dude spat. "These Greeks have come here to bring down our power and dominance. Maybe they have even more monsters on board. Maybe—"

"I agree with Octavian!" spoke a calm but timid voice.

The crowd gasped. Leo wasn't surprised. This Octavian dude seemed like a Know-It-All. Who would agree with him?

Then the boy walked forth. He was short but well-built. Were all the Romans buff? Leo thought. He couldn't wait to meet a fat Roman for a change. The boy wore a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and a purple knit hat that made his straight blond hair to cover his eyebrows. The boy looked to the ground when he talked and hardly—maybe like never—made any eye contact.

"I-I think that Octavian is right," the boy muttered again. His voice was sort of high-pitched and he seemed no older than fourteen.

Octavian looked throughout the crowd as more gasps were heard. He smiled a broad smile, and said, "Thank you, Alexander. At least, _someone _finally acknowledges my intellectuality."

Stifled laughter spread throughout the audience when somebody said, "What intellectuality?"

Octavian's face turned from pale white to tomato red. "Who said that?" he roared.

Everybody started whistling innocently; their eyes darted everywhere except in Octavian's direction. Then someone finally walked forward. He looked a lot like Alexander, except older, taller, more lean, and confident. Probably they were brothers.

"My brother Zander," the boy began, "has the right to speak just like anyone of us." Zander looked up at his older brother shyly. Leo saw something in the boy's eyes—respect. "And by the way, Octavian, my brother's name is Zander."

Octavian rolled his eyes. "Alexander, Zander. Same difference. Quincy, get on to the point."

"Yes, ma'am," Quincy said. One side of Zander's lips tilted upward in a crooked smile. The entire crowd burst out laughing. Octavian's ears burned red. Leo noticed veins sprouting around his eyes. He knew that Octavian wasn't someone to be messed with. "Anyway…my point is: Kill the centaur!"

A mighty roar was heard from the entire crowd, like crashing down of a tidal wave. The Romans thrust their weapons into the air, and shouted, "'Kill the centaur! Kill the centaur!'"

Then the sound like the buzzing of insects became very audible. Leo looked up and noticed that the sky was dotted with hundreds of deadly arrows. They sailed down at such accuracy that Leo thought—for just a second—that the arrows were headed for him. Then he remembered Chiron. Sure, many of the arrows might miss their mark, but there were still hundreds of other ones that might hit at something.

Leo prepared himself for a mega fireball. He could just feel the heat rising inside his organs, his cells. His arms went ablaze and the crowd gasped once more. Leo blasted some of the arrows, but more kept coming. It was useless, he realized. Even if he tried Chiron still wouldn't make it.

Then the weirdest thing happened.

Jason appeared. He swung his arm in an arc and the wind followed suit. It created a protective shield, deflecting all the arrows.

"Huh?" was all Octavian could say as Percy tackled him to the floor. Percy brought up his fist—but Annabeth stopped him.

"Don't!" she said. "It's useless."

Annabeth, grabbing a hold of Percy's arm, pulled him away slowly. Percy smashed his fists, and pointed at Octavian, as if saying _I've got my eyes on you_.

Octavian, still a little dazed, got up and did an act of dusting himself off. "Well, that was entertaining."

There was an awkward silence.

Leo almost burst into Human Torch mode, when Chiron placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "I'll take it from here." He was now in a wheelchair, Leo noticed, and wheeled himself to the front of the crowd.

"Hey, what happened to the centaur?" a purple ghost shouted.

Another purple ghost slugged him on the arm. "The centaur's still there. He just…shape shifted."

This new looks made Chiron look twenty years older. His hair, eyes, face—they all were the same—but it was the wheelchair that changed it all.

There were a dozen archers spotted around the hills, Leo realized. They must've been the ones who had shot the arrows. Then the crowd split into two again and Reyna walked through. She didn't look too happy. Actually, she never seemed to look happy.

"Lupa wants to have a word with you," Reyna said. "Follow me."

Leo looked toward Chiron, but he nodded. Piper still looked sick, but she followed the rest of them out through the camp. Everybody's eyes were on them as they walked through the crowd. Leo always wanted to be the center of attention, but never in this way.

_**Hope you loved it!**_

_**Chapter Two is coming out in a few days!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: PIPER**

_He loves me; he loves me not_

Piper felt ill throughout the entire journey. She just knew that something bad would happen. Especially after the dream she had.

It was during the journey. They had nothing really fun to do, but hang out, eat, and watch TV. But nobody was in the mood. And soon that got boring. So Piper just slept. But sleeping led to dreams, dreams led to omens, and omens led to disasters.

In her dream, Piper saw Jason, handsome as ever. He looked nervous—almost like how she was feeling right now. And there was another girl; a pretty girl, who made Piper want to gag. The girl was _seriously _pretty. More like beautiful. And Piper knew exactly where this was going.

She heard the girl say something: _Jason_.

Jason spread out his arms, and the girl ran into them. And they just stood there, in a tight embrace. But what Piper hated was that Jason looked happy. No, it was deeper than that. He looked like he had been longing for something so badly—like when you lose something precious—and then you finally found it.

Piper hated it. Ever since then she couldn't think right when she was near Jason. What was the point? He already had a girlfriend.

"Piper?" Jason said. "Wake up."

Piper's eyes shot open, and she could feel herself blushing. Jason's face was but a few inches away from hers, and his lightning-blue eyes were making her want to hug him. But she restrained herself. _Jason already has a girlfriend_, she told herself. _There's no point in acting like he didn't_.

Piper got up suddenly, startling Jason. "Uh…I don't feel too good."

Concern quickly etched Jason's eyes. "Are you seasick? Queasy? Nauseous?"

Piper forced a sympathetic smile. _Go with the flow_. "Uhh…I'm fine. Don't need to bother. And I think queasy and nauseous mean the same thing."

Jason laughed quietly, uncomfortable. "Oh, okay."

And that's how it had started. From meeting Reyna to walking through a thick forest just to meet _Lupa_—whoever that was. Jason was walking beside Reyna, hand-in-hand. He looked back at Piper, but Piper stared at her feet, not following his gaze. She could've sworn that she had tripped twice. Yet each time Leo had grabbed a hold of her before she could hurt herself.

"Th—Thanks," Piper said sheepishly, not making eye contact.

Leo helped her to her feet. "Seriously, what's going on with you? Is it Jason? Is it because of his hot girlfriend?"

Piper grabbed Leo by his shirt collar. "Is she really that hot? Is she really _hotter _than me?"

Leo kindly pushed Piper away from him. "Um…I think you should ask Jason. Oh, look! They're already way ahead of us." And with that, he ran off, leaving Piper alone in the forest.

Piper sat down, her knees tucked on her chest. The sound of screeching and the low growls of the tree animals accompanied her. Then she heard soft rhythmic thumps, like a horse galloping. And then: "Are you okay?" Piper looked up. It was Chiron, still in his wheelchair form. Piper looked back down, nodding. "You don't look very cheerful. Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine!" Piper screamed. "Okay? Just leave me alone." She could hear the soft thumps as Chiron retreated with alarm.

But he still asked, "Are you sure?" Piper could hear the hurt in his voice. She too was surprised. When did she start acting like this? Chiron said, "I've taught many mortal heroes, so I am not just a trainer, but a counselor as well."

Piper stood up. "I'm so sorry, Chiron."

Chiron thrust out his hand, and said, "I was figuring you might need these." Tissues, Piper noticed. Chiron had brought _tissues_? Since when did centaurs carry around tissues? Piper pulled out a few anyway. She hadn't noticed she was crying until she had touched her cheeks, causing the tissues to get damp.

Piper forced a tight smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Piper. So why are you crying?" Chiron asked.

Piper felt her eyes getting watery. She hated crying in front of others. Her grandfather had always called her a strong warrior. But right now, she wasn't living up to his expectations. Even though he was dead, those words still meant something to her. Her dad had even called her that. _Strong warrior_. But she could still feel the tears coming.

"Tissues?" Chiron asked. Piper nodded, and grabbed a whole handful.

After many sneezes and blowing, Piper said, "Chiron, do centaurs cry?"

Chiron shook his head "no." "Lucky," Piper said, grabbing more tissues, which didn't seem to be doing much.

"Actually," Chiron began, "it isn't _lucky_. Crying is a very helpful process indeed.  
>It helps relieves tension."<p>

"So you're saying that you wished you could cry?" Chiron nodded glumly. Piper laughed. "And here I was thinking that—"

"Piper!" Jason ran toward them. He looked out of breathe. The others were right behind him. "Oh, good. I thought we lost you."

Piper glared at Leo. "Well, you can all thank Leo."

"What?" Leo said, thrusting out his arms innocently. "At least I kept you from falling."

Piper walked over to him, and stared him in the eyes. "Thanks, Leo. Next time when I'm about to trip I'll call you." Piper pushed him lightheartedly. Leo ended up tripping over a loose root and falling to the ground. He blushed, embarrassed, as everyone started laughing. Then she looked at Jason. "So why'd y'all _really_ decide to come back."

"Actually, we _all _decided to come back for you," Percy said. "Any friend of Jason is a friend of mine."

"Actually, we came back because Lupa wasn't at her hideout," Reyna informed. She didn't seem to care who heard that, or how they depicted it. Piper knew Reyna and her weren't going to become friends. She still couldn't believe that Jason could date someone so…_insipid_.

Jason gave Piper a sympathetic look. Piper ignored it, and said, "So do we go back, or—?"

A low rumble echoed throughout the forest. The demigods all exchanged nervous glances. There was metallic _ching! _as Percy and Jason drew their swords—Jason, his Imperial gold gladius and Percy, his Celestial bronze double-edged sword. Percy's sword Riptide gave off a little light, but the growling seemed to be getting louder.

Piper walked back—and fell into the arms of Leo. His hands were gentle and warm on her skin as he held her, like she was about to faint, which she sort of was. "W-what do we do?" Piper asked, nervously jerking away from Leo.

"We wait," was all Chiron said in a calm, even tone. Piper wished she could have that sense of ease. She felt for her dagger inside her pockets; the familiar cold metal alleviated her tension. In a quick motion, Piper pulled it from within her pockets. She stared at her reflection for a while, admiring how her thin, brown eyebrows slanted down elegantly, and the look of determination in her eyes. _Strong warrior_, she remembered. _Yes, that's what I am_.

The branches and shrubbery around them started to rustle and shake. There was such an empty silence that even the chirping of crickets was audible. (That was not a joke.) Then the growling ceased—

And the beast lunged from the shadows.

Piper was the first to scream. It was more like a warlike scream, like the ones when people-run-out-pumping-their-weapons-in-the-air type of scream. Immediately, Piper leaped into action. She thrust out her dagger in a clean arch. There was a satisfying _rip _when the blade connected with the beast's skin, leaving a streak of blood.

The beast turned, baring its fangs, its golden eyes big with fury. It slashed at Piper's chest—but Piper was too slow to react. All she heard was Leo screaming "NOOO!" After that, she felt the impact; the force of blow knocked her to the ground.

Surprisingly, the pain wasn't as harsh as she thought. She tried getting up until she realized that a limp body was on top of her. Piper recognized the warm, gentle touch as the person's arm brushed against hers. "I told you I got your back," said the person. It was Leo. A small stream of blood trickled down the side of his mouth.

"What…?" Piper said. She pushed Leo off of her—and noticed the four big rips on his back, blood leaking from them. She almost fainted again. Annabeth was already on the move, bringing out healing nectar. Piper rested Leo's head on her lap; Annabeth bent down and slowly poured the healing nectar down Leo's mouth.

Leo's eyes shot open. "What?" Then he noticed his position, his head on Piper's lap, and said, "Well, hello, _chica_." Piper pushed him away. Leo rolled over three times and then lay still a few feet away from the beast.

Jason ran between the beast and Leo, shouting, "Stop! Lupa, this is Leo. He may be a _graecus_, but he's still an ally." Piper was shocked; Jason had never called them _graecus_. Last time she'd checked, that word had never come out of Jason's mouth.

"_Graecus?_" Piper asked. "Since when did you start saying that term?"

"Actually, _graecus _means 'Greek'," Annabeth interjected. Piper couldn't help but roll her eyes. She didn't have anything against Annabeth, but children of Athena always seemed to get on her nerves.

The beast strolled forward. It gave off a dignified aura, almost like that of Octavian's, except hers was menacing. Lupa was a wolf that was a foot taller than Piper. She had gray fur that made her gold eyes to stand out more. Even being near her made any person want to move back and give some space. It was like _I'm going to bite your head off _was what she wanted people to know. "I came here because I smelled a centaur," Lupa said, glaring at Chiron.

"But Chiron's a good centaur," Annabeth said.

"And I'm a good wolf," Lupa shot back. Knowing that that was a lie, Annabeth went mute. "And what are the _graecus _doing in our territory?"

"Lupa." Jason dared not to look into her eyes as he spoke. "The Greeks are now our allies."

"What!" Lupa yelled. "Preposterous! The Greeks have always been our enemies!"

"Uhh…Lady Lupa," Jason began.

"SILENCE!"

Jason stepped back. "Reyna, you give it a try." Reyna didn't seem to listen. Piper wouldn't have been surprised if she was eating popcorn right about now. Did Reyna care about anyone but herself? No. Piper was beginning to hate her more and more. _I have to get Jason back…somehow_.

Lupa studied Leo like a lunch menu, deciding if a Greek soufflé would taste any good. Then she glared at Chiron, and said, "I don't trust the centaur. But Jason, you have been my greatest pupil after Romulus and Remus. So I'll believe you for now." Lupa pointed her nose back to camp. "Let's all meet in the praetor's office. I'd like to discuss more on this topic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: REYNA**

_Strange Afternoon_

Reyna loved how this day was going. She was now reunited with Jason. Percy was happy. And the Greeks and Romans had finally become allies. That would help greatly in the war. But that Piper girl…Reyna didn't seem to like her. She knew Jason and her had a close connection. But whatever the case, Reyna would keep a close eye on her.

The demigods walked back to camp, Reyna and Lupa leading the way. Obviously, she knew the way since she herself was a praetor. And so did Jason. He and Lupa were already in a deep conversation. But Reyna didn't mind. She'd rather have Jason talking with a rat than that Piper girl.

Reyna stopped, and said, "This is the Principia. This is where the praetors' offices are located."

"But aren't the praetors like the leaders of the camp?" Leo asked.

Reyna turned and faced him, looking him in the eyes. "The praetors are like the presidents. They are elected representatives of Camp Jupiter. But the true leaders of this camp are Lady Juno and Lady Lupa." Lupa bowed her head in gratitude.

"But if y'all are presidents," Leo said. "Then why aren't your offices bigger and fancier? You know, like the White House."

Reyna's scowl deepened. _So Octavian was right; the Greeks are stupid_. Reyna said, "In New Rome, there is no such thing as _fancy_." She added as much malice to the word, hoping that that would hammer into their little brains.

"Uhh…Shall we go inside now?" Jason interjected. Lupa nodded, and Reyna guided them inside.

"Here, allow me to me a gentleman and open the door," Leo said, knowing full well that there was no door. There was just a hole in the wall. Or more like a rectangle in the wall. Above the door post the letters _SPQR _were engraved. Leo read out the letters, and then said, "What does _SPQR _stand for?"

Percy started saying, "It stands for—"

But Reyna interjected: "None of your business! You _graecus _are still not trustworthy."

"But—!"

"No buts!" Reyna pointed to both the left and the right of the Principia. There were two smaller buildings located at the sides. "Jason, that one is yours, and that is my office."

Jason walked toward the left building. There was also letters engraved above the doorpost as well. Reyna almost slapped herself for being so stupid when Jason said, "But it says Percy on that building." Jason turned to Reyna. "You never told me about this."

Reyna tried to keep up with her serious expression, but Jason's burning blue eyes just made it too hard. "Okay, okay! Percy became the new praetor when you were…_gone_." Reyna almost choked on that word. "I was going to tell you but I forgot." She waited for Jason's expression to change, but it didn't.

Then Percy said, "But we can still change it." Reyna looked down shyly, and mouthed _Thank you_ to Percy. Percy nodded.

"Oh, okay," Jason said. His face turned a dark shade of pink. "So…where were we?"

Lupa walked into the Principia. "Come along, please," she said. There was complete silence as the demigods followed her into the Principia. Reyna didn't feel right about bringing the Greeks along. But as long as Jason was happy, she was happy.

The demigods walked into the Principia silently. "Well, well, well," went a voice. Standing on Reyna's praetor throne was none other than _Quincy_. He had on his usual smirk. When they laid eyes, Reyna almost gasped. He was just like how her sister Hylla described him: silver straight hair that fell over his eyes, the lightest shade of blue for his eyes, and that ridiculous smirk on his face that showed off his glistening snow-white teeth.

Why wouldn't her sister fall for such a guy?

But there was also another part of Quincy; the reason her sister had chosen to join the Amazons and never fall in love again.

Quincy walked down from the throne, his arms outstretched in a kindly gesture. "Why hello, Hylla's little sister." Reyna was completely frozen in shock to have scolded him for calling her that. "Oh, and you brought friends." Lupa growled and cursed him under her breath. Quincy ignored her. He faced the other demigods. "Jason, Percy, and the _graecus_," he said as if recited a list.

Jason got between Reyna and Quincy. Quincy was close enough to touch her, Reyna noticed. But she still stayed frozen like a statue. "Stay away from her," he said, and summoned his javelin, "or you want to fight this baby."

Quincy chuckled lightly. He didn't seem to be scared that a man-eating wolf and a menacing blonde teenager were about to rip him apart. "My, my. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Enough with the jokes," Percy said. "What do you want?"

"And why are you in Reyna's praetor throne?" Annabeth asked.

"And do I remember you from somewhere?"

"LEO!" Everyone screamed.

Leo thrust out his hands in surrender. "What? It may not be as important as yours, but it's still a question."

"Please don't bicker." Quincy placed a hand on Piper's shoulder. Piper shrugged it off. "Now this one's feisty. Well, the pretty ones are always feisty." Quincy winked at Leo, making him blush.

Lupa growled again, baring all of her teeth. Too bad wolves didn't have dentists, because needed one. "Quincy, this was supposed to be a private meeting. Now, tell us exactly what you're doing here!"

Quincy eyed her with fascination, his eyes like glass. "I came here to challenge Reyna for her _praetorship_. If she loses, then I become praetor, and Reyna can't regain it for the rest of her life."

For a few long seconds, neither of them seemed to blink. Then Quincy did the stupidest thing ever: He walked away. It was like a reflex; one second, he was frozen, the next, he was walking away. Through experience, Reyna knew that Lupa hated being walked upon. So she wasn't surprised when Lupa lunged herself at Quincy. Quincy had barely time to turn or react because soon he was on the ground.

"Now, this isn't very comfortable," he said.

"You can't be serious!" Lupa demanded.

Quincy seemed to think about it, then: "I think I am."

Lupa raised her paw and claws popped out from within them. She would've slashed Quincy's beautiful face clean off if Quincy hadn't melted into a pile of snow. Lupa looked around, and then: "Yoo-hoo!" Reyna looked up and saw Quincy hanging above them on the ceiling. Lupa growled again, and pounced. But Quincy disappeared again. Everyone flinched as pieces of the ceiling gave way and tumbled to the floor.

Lupa looked to her paws in disbelief. "Where is he?"

"Yoo-hoo! Over here!" This time, Quincy was sitting on a bench, a few feet away from them. He waved gleefully, as if thinking this was a joke.

Percy unsheathed his sword, but Annabeth held him back. "This is Lupa's fight," she said. As if on cue, Quincy began to run away, Lupa at his heels.

Finally—when the two had left—Reyna said, "Well, that was awkward."

Jason scratched his golden hair, thinking hard. "Well, that was definitely unlike Lupa. Something's going on…something bad."

Then there was a grumbling noise coming from— "Sorry," Leo said. "I'm starving." Then a loud, blaring sound like that of a trumpet echoed throughout the camp.

Percy smiled. "Dinner is served."

Leo was already running.

The Mess Hall was exactly how Percy remembered it. There was a 24/7 banquet going on. Ghosts flew all over the place in a massive frenzy, delivering pizza and nachos to their impatient customers. Percy felt sorry for them. The Romans were well-built, but that didn't mean that they didn't have a big appetite. Percy was surprised the Romans weren't exploding in a shower of food. Man, could they eat.

"Over here, guys!" Dakota stood a few feet away from them, waving. The demigods walked over to their preserved table. Leo was already there, ordering his lunch. Good thing the food was free or his bill would've been a mile long. And not even the gods could cover that.

"Thanks, Dakota," Jason said, punching him playfully on the arm, causing Dakota to spill some of his Kool-Aid.

"Watch it, bro," Dakota said. "This drink was made by the gods." Percy didn't see what the big problem, the goblet was already refilling with more Kool-Aid.

"No, anyone can make Kool-Aid," Piper informed.

Dakota cradled the goblet as if it were a baby. "Don't listen to him, sweetie. They don't know what we're made of."

"Kool-Aid. A powdered drink mix, the brand name formerly owned by General Foods, and today, Kraft Foods. The powdered form was invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins. Edwin. Edwin Hubble. Inventor of the Doppler Effect Theory. Hubble Spacecraft." Percy smiled as he turned to see Ella the harpy, perched on Tyson's shoulder.

"Brother!" Tyson exclaimed. Percy barely had time to react as Tyson gave him the biggest bear-hug in history. Annabeth walked over and hugged him, too. "I missed brother so much."

Leo said, "Now that's what I call a bear-hug."

One of Annabeth's eyebrows perked up a little. From experience, Percy hated that look. "And this is my bestest, bestest friend Leo."

"Leo is Annabeth and Tyson's bestest friend." Leo almost choked on his burrito as Tyson bounded toward him, and got him in an even tighter embrace.

"Now that's what I call a Tyson hug." Annabeth gave Leo a mocking look. Leo's hair was ruffled and he still looked like he was catching his breath. Everyone laughed.

"Oh, hey, guys."

Percy immediately recognized that voice. And sure enough, it was Frank, Hazel at his side. Frank was wearing the purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and baggy jeans. The baggy jeans didn't really help with his image.

Hazel was wearing a brown parka with a fur trim. Her brown hair flowed straight down to her shoulders. But she looked nervous. Her eyes didn't seem to blink and she didn't make any eye contact with anyone. Percy wondered what was wrong.

And then he remembered.

"Uhh, guys, these are my _Greek _friends," Percy said nervously. He pointed to each of them as he said, "Piper, Chiron, Annabeth, and…Leo."

Annabeth said, "Hey. Percy's talked a lot about you two."

"You're Sammy," Hazel exclaimed a little too abruptly. "You just have to be Sammy." Hazel's eyes looked like glass, and she blinked quickly now, as if holding back tears.

"Uhh…?" Leo's eyes darted from Percy to Jason, like he was waiting for an explanation. "Who's Sammy?" They looked as clueless as he was.

Percy sighed. "Okay, I'll him."

"No!" Everyone looked at Hazel. Then, her voice a little louder than a whisper, she said, "I'll tell him myself." Hazel grabbed Leo by the arm and dragged him away.

Leo made an attempt to reach for his burrito, but Hazel jerked him away. "But I never got to finish my burrito-o-o-o-o!" was all Percy heard before Hazel and Leo both walked out of the Mess Hall.

Percy had to admit. This had been a very strange afternoon.


End file.
